


kaleidoscope

by ApriL (jenyawn)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Bloodletting, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mention of drinking, Mutual Pining, Non-Explicit Sex, Partying, Polyamory, Smoking, Valentine's Day, christian mark lee agenda, jaehyun is barely mentioned lmao, mark is whipped someone help him, not your regular boys problem, renjun needs sleep badly, vampire boyfriends shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25486897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenyawn/pseuds/ApriL
Summary: ka·lei·do·scope/kəˈlīdəˌskōp/ (n): a constantly changing pattern or sequence of objects or elements.Aka: a drabble collection with a variety of Dreamies pairings, which is basically haphazardly written works I wrote here and there dumped into one (1) big pile of mess. Warnings are specified in each chapter (if any).
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Zhong Chen Le, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Mark Lee
Kudos: 23





	1. monsters | nohyuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The downside of owning a lot of self control is having a larger beast to hide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: very brief mention of someone dying but no one actually died in here dw
> 
> this is supposed to be a part of a murder solving mystery fic that i had a budding idea of but i got lazy and left halfway, rip.

It's the first time Donghyuck has let him in a secret. Wide eyes and hushed voice and the nervousness pulling down the corner of his lip into a worried frown, the sun kissed boy seems–

Vulnerable.

But the thing is, Donghyuck was never this vulnerable in front of Jeno throughout their three years of friendship. Jeno always sees everything out of nothing – a mind that always tries to seek another image, another meaning; chains of consciousness trailing after him like a curse, weighing him down with every step he takes. And Jeno sees Donghyuck as a summer storm: destructive and unafraid, attention seeking, sweeping everything away in its path. Playful eyes and honeyed voice, with steel in his conviction and whirlwind in his thoughts. Not like this: unsure, scared, and his hands honest to god _shake_ under Jeno's careful scrutiny.

Boys like Jeno are always the first one to go absolutely goner under charms that boys like Donghyuck possess, and he feels his heart pounding loudly in his rib cage as he reaches over to take the tanned, trembling hand into his. Boys like Jeno win over people's trust with their friendly smiles and gentle words, a seemingly non judgmental façade that they put on like a second skin as their own charm. Slow, sure and steady is the vibe that they give out, their patience a magic that can untangle the most twisted knot one can offer. Right now, he's unraveling Donghyuck's by staying silent, unnerved eyes staring into his best friend's anxious ones.

Vulnerability of others, to Jeno, is utterly beautiful – like fine china on a shelf, handed over to him in form of a gift: all wrapped up nicely with a bow of trust on top, and he holds onto it with utmost reverence and care. Vulnerability is to be _cherished_. It's his code of conduct; careful hands and gentleness approved by his sentimental nature. Stillness falls over them as if waiting for a pin to drop, a confession to make. It's always Donghyuck who breaks the ice first between the two of them, and the rule doesn't fail to be applied this time as well.

_"I saw someone died right in front of my eyes"._

A drop of water to make the whole cup spill over.

Jeno stares at the nervous wreck that is his best friend, uncomprehending; his skin pulled tight under Donghyuck's nails that are starting to leave angry red wells from holding onto his hand too tightly. Donghyuck looks like he's about to cry and Jeno feels panic seep into his consciousness as well, yet for an entirely different reason: excitement courses through his veins at his best friend's display of helplessness, something that makes him become terrified of himself.

Boys like Jeno hold a lot of secrets, even moreso than boys like Donghyuck would ever do. The downside of owning a lot of self control is having a larger beast to hide; not just away from others, but even to himself. Vulnerability is to be cherished, sure, yet the dark whisper of the beast within him tells otherwise; tantalizingly cruel and cynical like the poison it pumps through Jeno's blood, tainting the vermilion shade into coal black of forbidden desire.

Vulnerability is to be _destroyed_.


	2. trance | markno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Mark Lee and his mushy, homosexual feelings for one precious Lee Jeno.

Mark couldn't think straight, couldn't move a single muscle as if he had fallen into a trance; staring at the gorgeous boy under him as Jeno simply stared back, pretty, ethereal, long eyelashes brushing against high cheekbones every time he blinked, all smiley eyes and pliability in contrast to the high nose and sharp jaw and hard edges – a walking paradox with all the clashing features melded into one entity, making Mark feel nothing short of confusing. He knew it was wrong, falling in love with his best friend's brother, and he had been doing nothing but dutifully following the bro code for Jaehyun since day one. But then it was Mark's fault that Jeno was lying immobile on his bed like this – he had taken one for Mark, the golden boy with endless patience for everyone around him, who gave out kindness like he was born for it – and who was Mark to resist someone like Lee Jeno?

A soft _hyung_ fell into the small space between them, and Mark's breath hitched at the smooth way the syllable rolled off Jeno's tongue like a token dropping to the bottom of a gachapon, a prize ready for Mark to pick up. He spurred into motion, then, cradling a palm against the younger's cheek as his thumb pressed gently onto the plush lower lip, relishing in Jeno's slight shiver as his other hand feeling the uneven bumps of the bandages wrapping around Jeno's left thigh.

_"Let me take care of you"_ , he found himself saying, heart leaping out of his chest when he practically felt Jeno melt a little more under him, yielding easily like cotton against pressure, like soft lips against his as Mark kissed Jeno right then, because Jeno was too adorable and Mark was smitten, unbelievably so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't really remember the setting when i wrote this one but basically jeno sacrified himself to save mark like a hero and this is the aftermatch lmao


	3. of silver stupidity | nohyuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno is a whole dumbass, but Donghyuck loves him anyway.  
> 
> 
> or: nohyuck hiding in a bathroom while a party is going on outside.

It was dark, as if Jeno was staying underwater. There was this burning sensation which overpowered everything else. Exploding behind his eyelids. Constricting inside his lungs, making it hurt with every breath he took. Pulsing inside his head like steady beats of drum, which timed perfectly with the bass boosted music muffled by the door of the bathroom they were locking themselves in. He felt suffocated, yet set ablaze, much like the glowing ember of the lit cigarette stick balanced precariously on Donghyuck’s tanned fingers. The moonlight waxed and waned behind closed blinds, and Jeno was itching to pull at the rope to let more lights in. He wanted to see the sun-kissed male better, since his vision was already shitty in the first place and even shittier without his glasses.

Right. His glasses. Jeno didn’t even remember where he had put it, and the mild headache he was experiencing did not help with wracking his brain to go over his memory in the slightest.

“Hyuck”, he called out, wincing inaudibly at the way his voice bounced off the walls, scratching at his eardrums and making his skull throb a tiny bit. It was soft in volume yet rough sounding, akin to a tattered paper fluttering in the wind with abandon. “Do you know where I left my glasses?” He got back a quiet sigh, then some rustling sounds, before a light “yeah” rolled over where he was sitting like an innocent ping pong ball, stopping right at his feet. It didn’t make his head hurt. “Don’t worry, I will get them for you after the party is over”.

More rustling sounds. Jeno guessed Donghyuck was getting up from the empty bathtub and going over to him. Indeed, an inky silhouette came into his view exactly seven seconds after, the heat radiating from the younger coming into contact with his aching being in the form of hot breaths from smoking and Donghyuck’s palms pressing onto his cheeks. “You okay?”, the tanned male whispered, mindful of Jeno’s sensory overload. The fingers snaked themselves into his ebony locks now, tapping and scratching ever so gently at his scalp. Jeno let out a content sigh at that, leaning into the soothing touches like a cat craving some good petting from its owner. “Mhm”, he hummed, “better now that you are here”.

A scoff.

Donghyuck was going to nag at him, he just knew it before the younger could open his mouth. “I told you to not drink too much, but did you listen to me? No”. Too predictable, his sunshine.

“To be fair, darling, you are even worse at listening to what _I_ have to say”, he shot back without heat, a lazy smile gracing his sharp features. An inebriated Jeno was an arbitrary Jeno, with alcohol dulling the edges of his internal reservations when sober.

“Fair”, his sunshine chuckled, the lovely sound tinkling like bell chimes, “but your rebellion hurt you this time, and don’t you dare say that I didn’t warn you”.

Jeno felt like he had made a mistake when Donghyuck drew his hands back, leaning on the balls of his feet as the tanned male picked up the half-smoked cancer stick and placed it back between his cute heart-shaped lips. He let out a whine of discontent without an ounce of shame at the loss of contact, yet stayed exactly where he was, opting to watch Donghyuck instead. The cigarette smoke suspended itself between them like a gray screen, moving around animatedly when the younger again breathed out an amused snicker at Jeno’s expense. It was like another layer of reality proof around his consciousness, making it hard for him to navigate through the heavy fog inside his head.

Donghyuck’s silver hair suddenly seemed to close within his reach, fluttering in such a bizarre way in his blurry vision. He wanted to touch Donghyuck so bad, so he did just that. Stretching out his arm out towards where he thought the younger male’s head was, Jeno laid his palm on– the burning end of the cigarette, really. Hot pain sheared through his skin, making him hiss out and bang his own head against the mirror behind his back. Stupid injury on top of stupid injury, on top of Donghyuck’s loud snorts of laughter reverberating throughout the spacious bathroom. “Oh my god, you okay?” The sun-kissed boy wheezed out, flicking the offending source of fire to the wet floor below before checking on his lover’s well-being, trying his damned best not to laugh again.

“Come on, let’s get you home. You are really losing it, darling”.


	4. god's right hand | markhyuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck has a hot vampire boyfriend slash roommate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically a bloodletting scene heavily inspired by [this beautiful markhyuck vampire gem](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14271195/chapters/32916879). check it out if you haven't!

How the routine starts is an odd reminiscence of the first time Donghyuck's undead roommate has fed on him: a stormy Friday night, rain pitter pattering harshly against the glass pane of his windows and sky flashing in ivory bursts of lightning. He had a lap full of Mark Lee, then – big feline eyes half crazed with blood lust yet his grip on Donghyuck's shoulders was shakily gentle, tapering voice pressing onto his ear canal in a barely controlled whisper, _"please let me bite you just this once, Hyuckie. I haven't eaten for a month"_.

Mark is so, so cold against him. For a vampire who has been around for a little more than two hundred years, his table manners are still awful comparing to his peers' standards. Donghyuck has seen other vampires feast countless of times. Even a newborn one (Jisung was his name, he's remembered) hasn't been as sloppy as his lover when he has his meals. Crimson drips from Donghyuck's wrist in rivulets, warm and thick against his tan skin in contrast to Mark's freezing clutch: tantalizing red lines all the way down to his elbow, where a tongue eagerly laps at the pooling drops of blood before they can stain their bed covers. Like a fucking _animal_ , Donghyuck once chided. Perhaps cruelly, perhaps fondly, though Mark has mastered the art of not taking the younger's offense to his (dead) heart way before then. The sun-kissed boy doesn't oftenly dwell on why Mark behaves the way he does, because his own (very alive) heart would do violent somersaults whenever Donghyuck is reminded that he's the only one the vampire has fed on more than once in his frustratingly long life. Suave manners can't be expected when you have mostly consumed blood bags and temporary human fixes all the time before you met your gorgeous, super generous and insanely attractive roommate (read: the one and only Lee Donghyuck!) and he offered to be your staple meals voluntarily and out of love.

People would question by now: isn't Mark Lee just as insanely attractive, too? and Donghyuck would answer yes, yes, yes! without hesitation. To him, no one in this whole wide world could ever be as kind as Mark, and Mark has seen and experienced cruelty one hundred too many times, even from Donghyuck himself. The older has seemed unshakable to his admiring eyes – Mark's steadfast strides might as well be the only god whose mercy Donghyuck is at, even though he ironically has laughed at the older's Christian belief when they first met _(are you sure Jesus has lived as long as you guys have?)_ – until he learned that his very existence is something that can unearth Mark's infinity bound foundation, thus multiplied his narcissism by hundreds. 

Of course, it is not the only answer Donghyuck can give. He can state another right now, case in point: the fall and rise of Mark's adam apple when he swallows his blood, pink tongue sliding against his skin in kittenish licks; the hazy quality of his eyes when he blinks, slowly and languidly, punch drunk on the sweet taste of Donghyuck's life force. The vampire is so fucking pretty like this, utterly bound by Donghyuck's blood spell and the sun kissed boy is the wicked witch with magic flowing through his mortal body, a power that no one should ever possess. The bite is always blindingly painful to Donghyuck – the anaesthetic in Mark's fangs doesn't work on him for some peculiar reason, though the pain ebbs and flows after the initial agony. It keeps him sane, arousingly so even, as their dynamic shifts and tilts off its axis when Mark greedily drinks him in like a man dying of thirst. 


	5. early morning's whisper of feelings | renle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know valentine was 5 months ago but time is nothing but a social construct in this pandemic period anyway. have some soft pining renle while we are at it

It had been the third time this week that Renjun was startled awake by a nightmare, and it was only Thursday. The clock on his phone read 3.17 AM.

He hated this life, Renjun concluded after getting up to get some water to splash onto his face, palms sweaty and his heart beating so fast he was afraid it would burst out of his chest if he didn’t calm himself down fast enough.

The door of the room opposite to his creaked open, and Renjun muttered a curse word in Mandarin under his breath as a sliver of light leaked out, making its imprint on the door of his own. He had been trying to make as least sounds as possible, but Chenle was an impossibly light sleeper. It did more harm than not in most of the cases, especially in occasions when the younger’s dorm mate had to pull all-nighters to finish his art pieces on time, or when he had to take care of his…boy problems, which border lined on utter embarrassment and disappointment in himself because Huang Renjun would rather kill himself than admit to anyone ever, that Zhong Chenle was the star in some of his less-than-innocent fantasies, along with the occasional sappy daydreams which tended to sneak in whenever he put down his mental barricade and allowed his mind to be vulnerable than how it functioned normally.

Apparently, crushing on your best friend was one of the most stupid acts one could commit. This was once upon a time Renjun’s sarcastic remark for Donghyuck and his pathetic puppy love for Mark, the childhood sweetheart of the sun-kissed boy, who was adored by everyone around them (Renjun and Chenle included). And somehow, his words found their way back to slap their owner square in the face on one random night where the younger boy sweetly sang a lullaby for Renjun to fall back to sleep after yet another nightmare. _“God, I love this boy so much”_ had been his last thought before total blackness took over. The cursed cognitive part in his brain had decided to remind him of the unexpected knowledge right the morning after upon waking up to a warm body cuddling close to him, soft fingers intertwining with his own under the flower scented sheets. An awfully domestic sight, if looked from an outsider’s perspective. Renjun shivered. He had never invited Chenle to sleep on the same bed with him since then.

The younger boy’s pale cheek peeked out from the gap, then his sleepy eyes, then the mussed bedhead. “Sleeping problems again?”, a tiny voice floated into the endless space between then, tugging gently on one of Renjun’s heartstrings. For such an inherently bright person like Chenle, it was so easy to see the contrast when the younger produced less sounds than his normal capacity allowed him to do. Needless to say, Renjun was captivated by the extreme ends. As annoying as he could be when he was too loud, the younger was extremely adorable like this, being out of his depth while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

_God, he was hopeless._ Thought Renjun, uttering out a soulless “yeah”, and then “go back to sleep, it’s not that bad this time” as he wrung his wet hands atop the kitchen sink. It was too dark for him to catch the hurt flit through Chenle’s eyes for a fraction, too far for him to hear the deep breath the younger took in after, but he could not miss how Chenle opened the door wider, a cute grin forming on his face. “Wanna make a trip to the convenience store, ge?”, he offered, disappearing into the bedroom to presumably change into warmer clothes before Renjun could even protest. Renjun knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the offer, yet he still attempted to do so anyway.

“I didn’t even agree to this, Chenle, what if Kun ge caught us–”

“When did he ever say no to my pleas, Jun? You know he’s weak for me”.

And immediately Renjun knew the younger had a point. As charming as Mark was in their university, Chenle had the same reputation among the older Chinese friends in their shared, large circle of acquaintances. Hell, even _Renjun_ himself could not escape from Chenle’s clutches. If only he hadn’t been soft for cute things in life, he lamented in defeat, throwing on the warmest jacket he had over his pajamas because he couldn’t be bothered more than that.

Sneaking out was the easy part, especially when it had been raining all night. In fact, it was still drizzling lightly at the time they left their room. They simultaneously pulled the hoods of their clothes up over their heads, Renjun breathing out silently upon catching a hint of a smile on the younger’s lip before his face was shielded out of vision. “I thought the rain let up a while ago, to be honest”, Chenle stage-whispered to the older when they were still within the yard’s vicinity and it was not exactly necessary because there was no one around at the time, but Renjun made no comment on that. He busied himself on basking in the serenity of nighttime, inhaling lungful of perichor-smelling air as he let the remaining tension inside his body melt away slowly. They climbed over the fence with practiced ease, but Renjun made a mistake of getting the end his coat caught on one of the pointy parts and risked a signature dolphin laugh out of Chenle for him nearly ripping the poor piece of clothing apart.

“That’s what you got for being lazy”. Renjun elbowed the Chenle in the rib over the sounds of the younger snickering, earning a yelp of pain before smiling fondly to himself, pressing against Chenle as a silent form of a truce after the small ruckus they made.

The walk to the nearby convenience store was in total silent, but Renjun didn’t mind. They had been friends for long enough to make themselves comfortable in times like this – one would naturally learn to appreciate the silence after a while because being with Chenle meant you would get so little of it most of the time. It was so easy to forget about anything else beside the younger’s warmth from the places their arms came into direct contact. At the moment, it was just Chenle and Renjun, wrapped up in a bubble of total peace as the world around them seemed to stay transfixed, undisturbed under the safe protection of the ungodly hour. The darkness hung its ebony veil over their heads. Renjun had this urge to hold Chenle’s hand, wanting to feel the softness of his hand again, and he had to stuff it into his coat’s pocket to make the itch go away.

The drizzle came to a stop upon them arriving at the convenience store. The cold artificial light soaked up them both instead of the rain, exposing and unrelenting. Renjun teared his eyes away from Chenle as he pushed at the door, making a beeline to the snacks section to stock up their cabinet back in the dorm. Their stack of junk food ran low rather quickly because of the frequent movie nights and their sleeping problems keeping them up late often. “Get some Kitkats, I’m craving for some sweets”, Chenle called from his position in front of the fridge, and Renjun expected him to get some of his favorite drinks while the younger was at it.

“You’ll likely to get pimples if you eat too much sweets at night, don’t you know?”, he quipped back, grabbing another pack of spicy dried seaweed along with some Kitkat bars anyway before chucking them into the shopping basket. It was only to tease the other boy – they were not big fans of sweet things usually. Renjun let out a chuckle at the displeased noise Chenle made, moving to swoop a handful of carbonated drinks and various shades of iced tea from the younger’s arms to pay at the register. The clerk was oddly cheery for a time as late as such, shooting them a pleasant smile while he scanned the items. His name tag read “Jungwoo”, and Renjun thanked him before ushering Chenle out of the door. The younger made quick work of grabbing one of the two plastic bags from Renjun’s clutches to go through its content, taking out a chocolate bar. Their fingers brushed momentarily as he did so, and Renjun stifled an exhale from escaping his throat. “

Sweets are good to relieve stress”, Chenle said conversationally, offering him the first bite from the freshly opened Kitkat bar. The younger seemed to be unaware of how caring he could be sometimes, Renjun bristled internally at the fact as he took a big bite from it out of childish spite, humming appreciatively at the chocolatey flavor invading his taste bud. He stared resolutely at the road ahead while chewing, missing Chenle’s staring at his lips altogether when the other started to speak again.

“Do you know what day is today?”, the younger boy asked with a tone so soft it startled him, turning his head away the moment his own snapped to Chenle’s direction to observe the boy’s suddenly odd behavior. “Uh hold on, let me think…” he strained his mind to remember the exact date, “13th of February?”.

“No, it’s the 14th since it’s like, 4 AM something now”. Chenle’s eyes sparkled not unlike the starry nights on the sky, and Renjun’s breath got taken away upon spotting a hint of a blush on the younger’s cheeks, a surprisingly bashful smile bloomed on his face. “Happy Valentine’s day, ge”.


	6. play date (working title) | norenmin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> have more steamy vampire content idk. something i wrote per request, and in a spark of muse during a severe writer's block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter contains non explicit description of sex and some vampiric bitey bite– don't read if that's not your thing.

He'd been seeing that human again, Jeno noted upon catching a wiff of fragrance from his boyfriend. It was potent – the smell of jasmine, watercolor and something sugary undertone; something unnamed and so tantalizing that it woke up the raven haired's primal instinct to _feed_. His senses told him it wasn't only sprayed like perfume on his lover, but embedded deep into his every vessel – the scent of the blood that didn't belong to Jaemin, yet running rampant inside his veins.

"Renjun is his name, isn't it?", Jeno asked, breathing snow onto the alabaster of his skin with his cold fingertips. The younger male looked sweet like this, eyes dripping of honey and the corners of his lips tinged saccharine; picture perfect embodiment of a newly bloomed carnation. It reminded him of an impression long gone, of the boy who he had fallen in love with when he was still human. Jaemin had been sweet still after he'd been turned, but not without a severe cost of the light that once had illuminated his orbs like a cosmic shower; starry eyes that used to cause his whole being tingle and ache with overwhelming fondness for the younger. Somehow, Jaemin's human had managed to bring back that touch of light to his presence with the idea of fresh love.

That was when Jeno felt it: the white hot bolt of _jealousy_ coursing through him like electrodes, sparkling and reactive to his nerve endings. It made him dig moons into the younger's thighs, made him pick up his pace to something faster and rougher, his handling poisoned with teritorial possessiveness. "You smell so good, darling", he gasped into Jaemin's neck, fangs already protruding. The smell only got stronger now that he'd drawn crimson from his lover with his tight grip that had Jaemin whimpering in a mix of pain and pleasure, and Jeno ached in an entirely different way – the kind of instinctual lust for Renjun's sugary blood.

"Does he make you happy? You are glowing for the first time in decades". The observation was ennunciated into Jaemin with each deep thrust that made his own head spin, punch drunk on the bittersweet plethora of emotions he was currently feeling. A goner that he had been because all he could see after was red, as the taste of sinful nectar exploded in his mouth and dominated his palate – he'd unconciously sunk his fangs into Jaemin's neck and it was what tipped him over the edge. Loveseed was loaded into the younger in exchange of the human's blood, his newest high was brought from the lowest craving of his own.


End file.
